Busan City Announces Opening of New Jangpyeong Underground Road

Busan Metropolitan City has announced the opening of the Jangpyeong Underpass, a 2,000-meter-long underground road connecting Sinnpyeong-dong and Gupyeong-dong in the Saha-gu district. The underpass includes 1,410 meters of tunnels and 590 meters of underground roads and has a total project cost of KRW 252.6 billion (approximately USD 218 million).

On February 20th, Busan City will hold an opening ceremony for the new Jangpyeong Underpass. Busan Mayor Park Hyung-joon, city council members, parliamentarians, Saha-gu district mayor Lee Gap-jun, and residents are expected to attend the ceremony, which will include a construction progress report, a commemorative speech, a guest congratulatory speech, and a commemorative ceremony.

The inauguration of the Jangpyeong Underpass signifies the commencement of the final stretch of the port hinterland road, establishing a direct connection to the Cheonmasan Mountain Tunnel. This new infrastructure is anticipated to facilitate a seamless commute from the Jangpyeong underpass to the Busan Gwangandaegyo Bridge in approximately 20 minutes, devoid of any traffic signals.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun expressed his gratitude to the citizens for their active cooperation in completing the project under difficult conditions, noting that the opening of the Jangpyeong Underpass is expected to have a positive impact beyond just relieving traffic congestion. He emphasized that the new infrastructure will also help improve living conditions between different regions.

The city plans to complete the entire project by maintaining the upper road in the first half of this year. The road construction project between Eulsukdo Bridge and Jangnim ridge was confirmed as a congested road improvement project in the metropolitan area by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport in January 2012. The project was deemed economically feasible with a cost-benefit (B/C) ratio of 1.12.

The opening of the Jangpyeong Underpass is expected to bring significant benefits to the people of Busan, improving their transportation and quality of life.